The Sense of Community (SCI) Index Revised: The Reliability and the Validity of the SCI-2

1. The Sense of Community (SCI) Index Revised: The Reliability and the Validity of the SCI-2 David M. Chavis & Kien Lee Association for the Study and Development of Community Joie Acosta RAND Corporation Washington, DC Association for the Study and Development of Community

2. Background • The 12-item SCI is theory based • Short and easy to administer • It has had adequate reliability and strong validity. • Relations established with behaviors, community conditions, and psychological well being • Has been used successfully cross culturally Association for the Study and Development of Community

3. Concerns • Subscales have inconsistent reliability • The true-false response set has limited variability. • Its adequacy as a cross-cultural measure has been questioned. • Not easily adaptable across settings • Did not reflect more recent research findings Association for the Study and Development of Community

4. SCI-2 • ASDC research team created SCI-2, which covered the same attributes in the original theory, plus recent findings. • SCI-2 has 24 items and a likert-like scale (0=not at all, 1=somewhat, 2=mostly, 3=completely). • Original draft was piloted with 36 people in seven different cultural and organizational settings in Maryland and Hawaii. • Pilot-test participants were asked to answer the questions with a certain setting in mind. • Strong reliability was found. (.944, n=36) • Some item statements were rephrased based on piloting study participant suggestions. Association for the Study and Development of Community

5. SCI-2 Items • Reinforcement of needs • I get important needs of mine met because I am part of this community. • Community members and I value the same things. • This community has been successful in getting the needs of its members met. • Being a member of this community makes me feel good. • When I have a problem, I can talk about it with members of this community. • People in this community have similar needs, priorities, and goals. Association for the Study and Development of Community

6. SCI-2 Items (cont’d) • Membership • I can trust people in this community. • I can recognize most of the members of this community. • Most community members know me. • This community has symbols and expressions of membership such as clothes, signs, art, architecture, logos, landmarks, and flags that people can recognize. • I put a lot of time and effort into being part of this community. • Being a member of this community is a part of my identity. Association for the Study and Development of Community

7. SCI-2 Items (cont’d) • Influence • Fitting into this community is important to me. • This community can influence other communities. • I care about what other community members think of me. • I have influence over what this community is like. • If there is a problem in this community, members can get it solved. • This community has good leaders. Association for the Study and Development of Community

8. SCI-2 Items (cont’d) • Shared emotional connection • It is very important to me to be a part of this community. • I am with other community members a lot and enjoy being with them. • I expect to be a part of this community for a long time. • Members of this community have shared important events together, such as holidays, celebrations, or disasters. • I feel hopeful about the future of this community. • Members of this community care about each other. Association for the Study and Development of Community

9. Testing of SCI-2 • 1,800 immigrants and receiving community members in 19 geographic areas across Colorado state, selected using a a stratified snowball sampling method. • Participants were given a $15 gift card. • Trained and bilingual interviewers administered the questionnaire. • Questionnaire was on optical scan form available in English and Spanish languages. • Setting where immigrants and receiving community members most frequently interacted was the referent. Association for the Study and Development of Community

10. Sample • A 88.5 % response rate (1,594 people [753 immigrants and 841 receiving  community members]). • Immigrants were primarily people who self-identified as Mexican or Hispanic/Latino and Spanish-speaking or bilingual; majority 34 years old and younger. • Receiving community members were primarily people who self-identified as American and Hispanic/Latino; majority 35 years old and older. Association for the Study and Development of Community

11. Results Difference between average SCI-2 score for immigrant and receiving community (38.8 vs. 37.4) (p < 0.05) Association for the Study and Development of Community

12. Reliability of SCI-2  = .940 Association for the Study and Development of Community

13. Validity of SCI-2 The validity of the SCI-2 was determined by its relationship to • Life satisfaction • Civic and political participation • Cultural and community participation Association for the Study and Development of Community

14. Validity of SCI-2 Association for the Study and Development of Community

15. Conclusion • SCI-2 appears to be reliable and valid across cultures, languages, and settings. • Where to download? www.senseofcommunity.com www.capablecommunity.com info@senseofcommunity.com Association for the Study and Development of Community